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They all look the same to me; which one is Mark Walker?
After the North Carolina Republican primary runoff last month, many people
were stunned by what happened in NC-06 (think Mayberry), where a heavy
Establishment favorite, Phil Berger's son, Phil, Jr., was defeated by
fringe right-wing extremist, Baptist Choral Pastor/gun nut Mark Walker. As
we explained at the time, Walker is a Science denier who wants to abolish
the minimum wage and raise the Social Security retirement age to 70. And
Walker is not just anti-choice, but believes women who are the victims of
rape or incest should ... more »

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrierUSS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) is shown
under way in the Atlantic Ocean conducting sea trials on Jan. 27,
2010.(Photo: Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Jason Winn, U.S. Navy)
*Ready So Strike: How The US Is Armed To The Teeth In The Middle East After
Moving Ships, Jets And Troops Within Striking Distance... And Britain Has
Its Base In The Med To Drop Ai -- Daily Mail*
* U.S. forces have spent last two months moving ships, weapons and troops
within close proximity of conflict zone
* Two F/A18 fighters flew from American 'supercarrier' in Persi... more »

GivernyI have been avoiding the photos I took on my trip with my mom in
May. I suspected they were going to be pretty crappy and I didn't want to
see them. But finally I did go through them, got rid of the worst offenses,
and posted the rest on Flickr for safekeeping. I'm not happy with them,
but... oh well.
If you're curious: they are here. There are some nice photos of my mom, and
I'm even allowing a few of me to stay up, as intensely camera-shy as I am.

Kurdish peshmerga troops participate in an intensive security deployment
against Islamic State militants in Makhmur, on the outskirts of the
province of Nineveh August 7, 2014.
Credit: REUTERS/Stringer
*ISIS Beating Iraqis and Kurds As One Lacks 'Heart' And The Other Ammo --
ABC News*
The Islamic militia ISIS has been able to roll back both the Iraqi army and
the Kurdish peshmerga force because one lacks the "heart" for a fight while
the other lacks the firepower, according to Americans familiar with both
forces.
ISIS has easily swept the Iraqi army from Anbar province in the sout... more »

*'A Catastrophe': Yazidi Survivor Recalls Horror Of Evading ISIS And Death
-- CNN*
Irbil, Iraq (CNN) -- Which is worse: Running desperately for your life, or
seeing others' lives end without enough to eat or drink?
It's an impossible question to answer. Then again, it's difficult to fathom
most anything thousands of minority Yazidis have endured in recent weeks as
they've fled from ISIS militants into remote, rugged, sparse mountains of
northern Iraq.
"With my own eyes, I saw dogs feeding off dead bodies," one of those
Yazidis, a man named Tariq, told CNN.
"It's not a crisis. It... more »

The Israelis are back shooting their missiles at targets in the largest
open air prison camp known as the Gaz Strip today, and again it does seem
that Israel will again escalate the "conflict" with their ultimate goal
still being the destruction of the entire Gaza Strip and the wiping out of
its 1.8 million Palestinian inhabitants. It is indeed genocide, and sadly
the world is still brainwashed by the Jew spew media into the false notion
that it is a "war".
Today, I had to spend a bit of time in a dentist's office this morning, and
during my wait I happened to open up the so called... more »

*Obama Says Tackling Iraq's Insurgency Will Take Time -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Saturday U.S. airstrikes had
destroyed arms that Islamic State militants could have used against Iraqi
Kurds, but warned there was no quick fix to a crisis that threatens to tear
Iraq apart.
But speaking before U.S. warplanes struck militant targets for the second
straight day, Obama said it would take more than bombs to restore
stability, and criticized Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led
government for failing to empower Iraq's Sunnis.
"I don't think we're going ... more »

*U.S. Conducts Four More Airstrikes in Iraq to Defend Yazidis -- Wall
Street Journal*
U.S. Attacks Rely on Mix of Fighter Jets and Unmanned Aircraft
WASHINGTON—The U.S. military launched four airstrikes Saturday in northern
Iraq designed to defend members of the Yazidi religious minority who were
coming under attack from Islamic extremists, American officials said.
The U.S. attacks relied on a mix of U.S. fighter jets and unmanned
aircraft, and followed a set of three strikes on Friday. While Friday's
strikes were intended to keep the militant group calling itself the Islamic
Sta... more »

Seth Mandel, a neocon propagandist writing for *Commentary* magazine, seems
to think that Hamas has overplayed its hand during the current crisis in
the Gaza Strip. Mandel says “that maybe the international community is so
torn up by the violence in Gaza that they want more than ever to prevent
its recurrence. And no matter how often they try to blame Israel, they seem
to understand that there’s only one way to prevent future bloodshed:
demilitarize, at least to a significant degree, the Gaza Strip”.
Looking at the demonstrations around the world, particularly the massive
display of... more »

The question of the day is was the bombing of Nagasaki a war crime? It was
a terrible thing, but in the context of WW2 and the fanatical resistance by
the Japanese it was unfortunate choice but hard to condemn.

*GILBERT and SULLIVAN: Princess Ida: Act I, Introduction and Opening
Chorus, "Search throughout the panorama for a sign of royal Gama"*
*Pavilion attached to* KING HILDEBRAND*'s palace. Soldiers and courtiers
discovered looking out through opera glasses, telescopes, etc., *FLORIAN*
leading.*
*CHORUS*: Search throughout the panorama
for a sign of royal Gama,
who today should cross the water
with his fascinating daughter --
Ida is her name.
Some misfortune evidently
has detained them -- consequently,
search throughout the panorama
for the daughter of King Gama,
Prince Hilarion's flame! ... more »

Yesterday I received a letter from Willis Carto, publisher of both American
Free Press and The Barnes Review, notifying me that I will no longer be
writing for AFP. The letter reads in part:
Dear John,
As of August 10 we need to discontinue your weekly columns for American
Free Press. [...]
[...] we realize that you interview unsavory characters on your web radio
site. Interviewing Fritz Berg so that he can spew forth his hatred of me
and everything we ever have worked for is not acceptable. Listeners to your
program no doubt constitute readership from AFP. We would appear very
st... more »

*"Time, Life, and the Roller Coaster"*
by CP
Remember when you were 10 years old, and summer felt like it lasted
forever? Got a little older, not so bad, still plenty of time to do
everything you wanted. Someone told me back then that time speeds up the
older you get. Being young, and knowing everything as the young do, I of
course ridiculed this idea. But guess what- it’s true. Now I view life, and
time, as a roller coaster with just one enormous riser. As you climb the
beginning towards the top time is slower to pass. At 30 or so you’re at the
very top, then you start the fall to... more »

*“The Gaza Saga Continues”*
by James Zogby
“Bombs stopped falling on Gaza for three days, allowing hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians to return to what had once been their homes and
neighborhoods. For many, this brief respite provided no relief since they
emerged from their shelters only to find that the places they knew no
longer existed. Homes in which they were born and raised, that held within
their walls memories of the lives they lived, had been reduced to rubble.
Not only had lives and hope been victims of this onslaught, memories were
shattered, as well.
The one-month ... more »

“It is our attitude toward free thought and free expression that will
determine our fate. There must be no limit on the range of temperate
discussion, no limits on thought. No subject must be taboo. No censor must
preside at our assemblies.”
- Justice William O. Douglas

First, something that didn't make the news in the Irving press. There's
been something of a revolt at the New York Times. Reporters and editors
demanded of the owners that they be allowed to use the word 'torture' in
connection with the CIA. Until then, they had been forced to use terms like
'enhanced interrogation techniques'. Of course. Torture sounds crude and
cruel , while enhanced 'interrogation techniques' sounds scientific and
sophisticated. And that helps to brainwash the public into thinking there's
nothing wrong with it.
And brainwashing is what most of the news media are ... more »

*"Love and Strife Don't Spill a Drop"*
by Chris Floyd
"In days past, I was a lawyer. Yes, a lawyer, can you believe it? It seems…
ridiculous now, doesn't it? An orderly system meant to govern human
society, to establish justice, to advance the progress and enlightenment of
the human race. Yet that system, that civil cosmos – to which I was so
passionately committed – embraced and protected the most wretched evils,
entrenched the powerful in their unjust privilege, oppressed the poor and
weak most relentlessly and wickedly, yet at every step – at every step –
sang hosannas to itself... more »

VICE has taken another look at the inner workings of the Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS), this time focusing on the effective and disturbing
way that the radical Islamists recruit one particular group: children.
“For us, we believe that this generation of children is the generation of
the Caliphate,” one ISIS fighter tells the camera. “God willing, this
generation will fight infidels and apostates, the Americans and their
allies, God willing. The right doctrine has been implanted in these
children. All of them love to fight for the sake of building the Islamic
State and for... more »

*“Are You A Zombie?” *
by Bill Bonner
"It was unbelievable," said a colleague, encountering the complexity of
modern life. "My son got arrested for having a marijuana cigarette on him.
I had to go to court with him. First, the judge seemed to know the whole
thing was a farce. She looked down at my son and the other kids who were at
the same party and were all arrested along with him.
She said, 'You all have to realize that marijuana is against the law in the
state of Maryland. Also, it is a door to more serious problems. Every
addict I've had in my courtroom has started out with p... more »

Logo
from the NDP petition
By Denis G. Rancourt
It is no longer a question of serious debate whether Israel's intentions
and actions constitute genocide, versus less serious crimes against
humanity, or simple war crimes [1]. The Israeli establishment, Jewish
Israeli citizens, and some prominent members of the Jewish diaspora all
expressly call for genocide (extermination, cleansing, "mowing

August 9, 2014 This morning, I did something I rarely do on blog post day.
After reading some of the morning news, I went out into the garden. While
it was still in shade from the walnut tree, while the … Continue reading →

*Cash, Weapons and Surveillance: the U.S. is a Key Party to Every Israeli
Attack*
By Glenn Greenwald
The U.S. government has long lavished overwhelming aid on Israel, providing
cash, weapons and surveillance technology that play a crucial role in
Israel’s attacks on its neighbors. But top secret documents provided by NSA
whistleblower Edward Snowden shed substantial new light on how the U.S. and
its partners directly enable Israel’s military assaults – such as the one
on Gaza.
Over the last decade, the NSA has significantly increased the surveillance
assistance it provides to it... more »

There are movies out there that every time you watch them you catch
something new- something that you hadn't noticed when you watched it
previously, something that you didn't remember, or perhaps didn't recognize
for what it was. Some times when you watch a movie - even one that you've
seen many times before- when you literally have a huge WOW moment when
suddenly you "get it".
I'm currently working through another abscessed tooth (*sigh* yea, know!),
so today I was taking it easy. Nick and I sat in bed and watched a movie.
The Matrix
There were a few times that we paused the mo... more »

*X22Report*
According to the latest stats wage growth is non existent. Wholesale
inventories barely grew which will hurt Q2 GDP and the number revising game
begins. Housing is collapsing and the government has now changed the rules
for FICO credit to pump real estate back up. Record numbers of Americans
are renouncing their citizenship. The sanctions on Russia are backfiring
and now Russia is making plans to get supplies from the BRICS nations.
While Congress was on vacation the Central bankers/US Government started
bombing the Islamic State in Iraq, this is setting the stage for... more »

There are so few of them left (22), that it's pretty easy to keep track of
the handful of mangy Blue Dogs left in Congress. Basically the same
species-- just with less overt bigotry-- the New Dems are not as well
known-- unless you're on Wall Street or K Street. Here's the whole
disgusting list-- in short the Republican wing of the Democratic Party
inside the House of Representatives:
*•* Ron Kind (WI), Chair
*•* Jim Himes (CT), Vice-Chair
*•* Rick Larsen (WA), Vice-Chair
*•* Gerry Connolly (VA), Vice-Chair
*•* Ron Barber (Blue Dog-AZ)
*•* John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)
*•* Ami Bera (C... more »

I've said it before and I'll say it again. They've all got to go. Why
Airstrikes in Iraq Are a MistakeThis is a slippery slope if those words
have any meaning left. Airstrikes are in part to protect American advisors
sent earlier to Erbil to support Kurds there because Iraqi central
government won’t. The U.S. is assuming the role of the de facto Iraqi Air
Force. What happens next week,

One of the more disturbing elements of the rise of the locked and loaded
American police state is the ongoing killing of pets in front of their
owners. With the militarizing of law enforcement and the impunity with
which police now are allowed to operate, the death toll of dogs continues
to mount. Family pets are being gunned down by government goons coated in
black Kevlar so frequently that the practice has actually been given a
formal name: "puppycide".
Hulking cops adorned with heavy body armor are more frequently turning
their firepower on hapless four-legged targets. It is qu... more »

Now.... this is interesting! American Kabuki/Bill's article today is dead
on the money (and funny as hell to boot!). As a little lead in to this
article I'll copy the conversation I just posted in my skype ONE room:|
d.breakingthesilence: well darlins- here's the day so far:
-military convoy goes down the highway just after midnight- in sets of
three- two military trucks "escorting" a pristine white 18 wheelers
transport trucks. several sets of three go by.
-6:15 am heather see's a huge military convoy- with military and white
trucks mixed.
-6:45 am- several more sets of three t... more »

From the Vineyard of the Saker:
Who is Mr. Putin? by Mikhail Khazin (MUST SEE!)
There is a lot of nonsense and garbage floating around on the Internet
about the personality of Vladimir Putin, mostly written folks who not only
know nothing about him, but who don't even understand the basics about how
the Russian state works. Today, I want to share with you a video
(especially translated for this purpose by the Russian Team) in which the
renowned Russian economist Mikhail Khazin shares his view of Putin and of
Putin's current position vis-à-vis the hostile and russophobic West. ... more »

BBC News 24 has been treating viewers to an ongoing all-afternoon account
of today’s protest in London.
Tens of thousands of people were marching. There was a veritable sea of
Palestinian flags. We are all Hamas now. Banners with “victory to the
intifada.”
“Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of Al Aqsa, British Muslim Initiative, Muslim
Association of Britain, Palestinian Forum in Britain."
It was a quiet, peaceful protest according to several of the participants,
apart from the hysterical individuals who screeched ill-i... more »

It's time for another digest from the *Spectator *(an intermittent *Is the
BBC biased?* feature that falls under our '...and other matters' remit.)
Here are some choice extracts from this week's edition:
*David Frum: Diary*
A quiet rural county in a peaceable dominion may seem a planet removed from
the violence of the Middle East. But my wife and I wake up before six to
read about the latest rocket attack upon Israel from Gaza. Our eldest
daughter, Miranda, travelled to Tel Aviv in search of adventure early last
year. She was recruited by a local modelling agency, and her face no... more »

*SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2014*
*Bringing Rick Perlstein back home:* After even the briefest of sojourns,
it’s hard to return to the mundane topics which form our public discourse.
In Maine, we pondered two different claims—the claim that “my current state
of consciousness...is just a feature of my brain at the present time” and a
second claim by Rick Perlstein concerning the film, The Exorcist.
Below, we highlight Perlstein’s claim. It’s featured in his suddenly
semi-controversial new book:
PERLSTEIN (page 206): The Exorcist opened in twenty-six theaters. As word
of mouth spread, the s... more »

Tim Whewell's report on this morning's From Our Own Correspondent bears
transcribing in full. It's the sort of report which shows what the BBC *can*
do - something it's important for blogs like this to point out from time to
time (as we do).
It follows the story of 36 year-old Narakorn Kittiyangkul, the Thai
national killed by a Hamas mortar attack during the present conflict, and
features Roni Keidar, who (along with her husband) runs a communal farm in
Netiv Haasara, right on the Gazan border:
It's often the footnotes that are most intriguing.
And there's a footnote to the Gaz... more »

When I saw this headline I was not surprised and yet I feel infuriated!
*Obama warns of LONG TERM Iraq airstrikes.*
The airstrikes are going to last months! How many months? A years worth of
months? Two years worth of months? How many months?
-Laying the groundwork for an extended airstrike campaign- *President Obama
said Saturday that the strikes that began the day before could continue for
months *
*“I don’t think we’re going to solve this problem in weeks” claims Obomba*
* “This is going to be a long-term project.”*
*Quoting the mass murderer *
Mr. Obama had suggested that* wide... more »

Ulson Gunnar
Asia’s dependency on rice cultivation for both subsidence and income is
intuitively understood. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) estimates the agricultural population of lowland rice
cultivation in Asia to be over 470 million - larger than the entire
population of the United States. Improvements in rice cultivation would
stand to lift hundreds of millions from debt and poverty. Conversely, the
disruption of rice cultivation would threaten to mire hundreds of millions
in deeper debt, inescapable destitution, and all of the negative
s... more »

RT > Breaking The Set > Abby Martin features an interview with UK
politician George Galloway, discussing the violence in Gaza and the latest
airstrikes the US military has launched against Islamic militants in Iraq.
Looking forward to the premier of Galloway's forthcoming documentary called THE
KILLING OF TONY BLAIR.

John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, blames Palestinians that they are
being butchered by Israel. He is a bigger jackass than his boss Stephen
Harper who holds similar views.
*Tories Release Pro-Israel Ad Amid War In Gaza, But They Don't Want
Everyone To See It*
Other political parties don't have much different views including Justin
Trudeau.
Read more here.

Melissa Melton
*“You better eat everything on your plate, dear. There are children
starving in Africa.”*
How many kids in first world countries have likely heard their mom utter
that phrase at the dinner table at least once? It may be an overused image,
but that doesn’t make it any less valid. There really are lots of starving
children in Africa.
Well, this week Secretary of State John Kerry took to the podium at the
U.S.—Africa Leaders Summit to say that Africans shouldn’t build more farms
because that would contribute to man-made global warming through a process
that “releases... more »

Today is primary day in Hawaii. Iselle hit Friday but had lost some
ferocity and came in as a tropic storm. With the exception of the polling
sites at Hawaii Paradise Community Center and Keone-opoko Elementray School
on the Big Island, all polling sites will be open from 7AM 'til 6 PM.
Hurricane Julio is also weakening slightly but may hit the Big Island
tomorrow. The rare twin storms shouldn't hold down turnout in the election.
And today's contests couldn't be clearer. The Senate race features two
well-known politicians, one progressive (Senator Brian Schatz) and one from
the R... more »

In *The New Republic*. A tidbit:
Only very extreme scenarios, where every wealthy individual *does all of
the following at the same time* can lead to the sort of explosive
inequality dynamics Piketty fears:
1. Marries someone at least as wealthy or bequeaths all wealth to one
child.
2. Consumes very little.
3. Avoids paying most taxes.
4. Contributes little to charity or politics.
5. Invests optimally while avoiding Bernie Madoff and his ilk.
And it is hard to imagine why anyone would care about the existence of such
an inbred, self-denying, and politically-remove... more »

Nadia Kayyali and Jeremy Malcolm
*Electronic Frontier Foundation*
The Australian government announced new anti-terrorism measures this week,
in response to the alleged involvement of Australian citizens with
extremist groups in countries including Syria and Iraq. Quietly omitted
from the briefing at which those changes were announced, but separately
leaked to the press this week, were the government's plans to introduce mandatory
data retention requirements for Australian Internet Service Providers
(ISPs).
These changes are causing an outcry from privacy advocates and political ... more »

I listened to Shaun Johnson's interview with Nel Noddings, and it was
obvious that both interviewer and interviewee were prepared for different
interviews. After spending a good chunk of time before the interview
making a case for his continuing the show in the absence of former
co-anchor, Tim Slekar, Shaun sort of got into an introduction to Nel
Noddings that encouraged listeners to get one of her books (no titles
mentioned) and to read "a couple of chapters."
In fact, I wish Shaun had read a couple of chapters before the interview,
for what followed was a wobbly unfocused compla... more »

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/southasia/2014/08/afghan-presidential-candidates-unity-government-20148811455553354.html
Afghan poll rivals sign unity government deal
Feuding presidential candidates sign US-brokered deal to cooperate on the
formation of a national unity government.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2014 08:20
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Afghanistan's feuding presidential candidates have signed a deal to work on
the formation of a national unity government, as an audit attempts to
decide the winner of the cou... more »

For those who are not regular readers of this blog .... Saturday is spend
the time with family, do chores, play some golf, and catch up on what needs
to be done. Unfortunately .... blogging tales a 12 - 16 hour hiatus. But
blogging though will return later tonight.

Lily Jayne Summers is a founder and editor of The Columnist, a cross-party
e-zine that blogs on current affairs and entertainment news. Lily is also a
member of the Labour Party in Stoke-on-Trent North, and has been known to tweet
compulsively.
- Why do you blog?
Because, it's a way for me to express my political views and to challenge
other people's notions or assumptions about an opinion or a political
debate. Quite frankly, blogging is the best way to express yourself and the
best way to be engage in politics. The only way to engage properly is to
put your opinions across vigo... more »

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham: An instrument of the Western
Military Alliance
*Prof Michel Chossudovsky*
*First published by Global Research on June 14, 2014.*
*Update, August 9, 2014*
*President Barack Obama has initiated a series of US bombing raids in Iraq
allegedly directed towards the rebel army of the Islamic State (IS).*
*The Islamic State terrorists are portrayed as an enemy of America and the
Western world. Amply documented, the Islamic State is a creation of Western
intelligence, supported by the CIA and Israel’s Mossad and financed by
Saudi Arabia and Qatar... more »

*"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: *
*'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" *
*- President Ronald Reagan*
By American Kabuki
*There's a very curious web site about the Rif mountain region which
encompasses Northern Morocco, Tunisa and Algeria. Its very well written
with very professional graphics and web site. And its run by US Miiltary's
African Command out of Germany (plainly stated in the ABOUT page on the
site). The web server is a cloud based service and the DNS server is in
San Diego. But there's been a very interesting trend lat... more »

Inevitability......
http://enenews.com/shock-water-fukushima-reactors-be-dumped-ocean-attempts-deal-problem-failed-officials-better-allowing-contamination-spill-directly-ocean-like-video
‘Shock’:
Water underneath Fukushima reactors to be dumped in ocean —
Attempts to deal with problem have ‘failed’ — Officials: It’s better
than
radioactive substances just “spilling directly into the ocean” like it
is
now
AFP, Aug. 7, 2014 (*emphasis added*): *Tepco ‘running out of space’ for
tainted water* — [Tepco] on Thursday unveiled a plan to dump scrubbed
water
directly into the ocean,... more »

In Tennessee, they call it "personalized learning time" made possible by a
"skills-based universal screener" administered three times a year (on top
of all the other testing).
In Dickson County, all the "screened" children are dumped into a Power
Learning Block (PLB) once a day based on their scores screening results.
In Cell Power Block 1 we have the black birds, whose low scores mean 45
minutes of intervention each day with other black birds. In Block 2 we
have the Brown Birds, who get a half hour of remediation every day. And in
Block 3, we have the white red birds who get 15 ... more »

U.S. air missions and aid deliveries to Iraq will continue as long as
needed, but U.S. airstrikes have already destroyed weapons the militant
Islamist rebels could have used to launch new attacks, President Barack
Obama said Saturday.
Saying fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham had advanced on
the strategic northern city of Erbil more rapidly than the U.S. had
expected, Obama said in a nationally televised news conference from the
South Lawn of the White House: "I don't think we're going to solve this
problem in weeks. This is going to be a long-term project." Re... more »

------------------------------
*Washington Threatens The World — Paul Craig Roberts*
------------------------------
August 8, 2014 | Original Here Go
here to sign up to receive email notice of this news letter
*Washington Threatens The World*
Paul Craig Roberts
The consequence of Washington’s reckless and irresponsible political and
military interventions in Iraq, Libya, and Syria has been to unleash evil.
The various sects that lived in peace under the rule of Saddam Hussein,
Gaddafi, and Assad are butchering one another, and a new group... more »

Steven Goddard has a post on "1950 scientific consensus", which included
the belief that "continents don't move". My response:
*The continents were moved by design, at least into their present shapes
and distribution. The design is so exact (the probability is one in a
million million that they were placed by chance), and the supposed
continental movements today so small, that it would take several hundred
thousand years for them to move away from the designed placement (and that
placement is but one small aspect of the design, which encompasses both the
terrestrial and celestial sp... more »

Elite donors of American allies in the Persian Gulf region have poured an
immense amount of resources into rebel groups like IS in efforts to advance
on three general goals: opposing Iran, its ally Bashar Assad and his
government in Syria, and fomenting the Sunni-Shia divides in the region.

So, yesterday i was watching this Youtube video where Senator Elizabeth
Warren grills the Federal Reserve Board Chair about the failure of these
trillion dollar Wall Street banks to make the "living wills" that their
legislatively obligated to do, in order to prevent even bigger messes than
happened after Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.
But in the comments, there were the usual right-wing fuck-faces, attempting
to belittle the brilliant Warren with the sort of stupid tripe that these
imbeciles are infamous for. But then, one of the "grown-up" right-wingers
piped-up with this gem:
The o... more »

The world you see is just a movie in your mind.
*Rocks dont see it.*
*Bless and sit down.*
*Forgive and forget.*
*Practice kindness all day to everybody*
*and you will realize you're already*
*in heaven now.*
*That's the story.*
*That's the message.*
*Nobody understands it,*
*nobody listens, they're*
*all running around like chickens with heads cut*
*off. *
*I will try to teach it but it will*
*be in vain, s'why I'll*
*end up in a shack*
*praying and being*
*cool and singing*
*by my woodstove*
*making pancakes.*
*Jack Kerouac*
*Source:*... more »

On Thursday, Paul Krugman wrote that evidence is mounting to support the
notion that inequality can sabotage a market economy. There will always be
some inequality in market economies. But gross inequality is a drag on
economic growth:
It’s true that market economies need a certain amount of inequality to
function. But American inequality has become so extreme that it’s
inflicting a lot of economic damage. And this, in turn, implies that
redistribution — that is, taxing the rich and helping the poor — may well
raise, not lower, the economy’s growth rate.
Neo-Conservatives, of c... more »

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, considered Lebanon’s most influential (?)
Sunni Muslim politician,* returned unexpectedly* to Lebanon on Friday
after three years of self-imposed exile. *Mr. Hariri’s return is being seen
as a bid to reassert his leadership* over Lebanon’s Sunni community amid
growing concern that many Sunnis are being radicalized by the war in Syria.
Mr. Hariri, above, left Lebanon in 2011 after his government was toppled by
a coalition that included the Shiite militia Hezbollah. *He has split his
time between Paris and Saudi Arabia, citing concerns for his safe... more »

I have to admit that I was hesitant to buy the latest installment in Rick
Perlstein's outstanding series on the rise of the modern American
right-wing at first. The book entitled "The Invisible Bridge" was pretty
pricey for an e-book at 19.99 (Amazon.com) but after hearing the
caterwauling of the poor, poor, perpetually persecuted pack of professional
victims of movement conservatism I ponied up immediately. There is never a
better endorsement than that of the 'conservative' outrage machine, I would
hope that I was not the only one that was influenced to shell out the dough
for th... more »

The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties
to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously
known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has
announced their intention to reestablish the caliphate and declared their
leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph.
Flush with cash and US weapons seized during recent advances in Iraq, the
Islamic State’s expansion shows no sign of slowing down. In the first week
of August alone, Islamic State fighters have taken over new areas in
northern Iraq, encroaching ... more »

Yesterday we looked at what happened when a real Democrat, Michael Wager,
was confronted with idiotic Republican assertions about health care reform.
Conservative Republicans in Ohio and across the country opposed Social
Security, opposed Medicare, opposed Medicaid and now oppose the Affordable
Care Act, all as a matter of course. It's the nature of who and what they
are. Wager, the progressive Democrat running in the northeast corner of the
state east of Cleveland, doesn't share that nature. He pushed back, talked
about how he thinks the Affordable Care Act doesn't go far enough b... more »

[image: Sonobuoys]ERAPSCO, a joint venture between Sparton and Ultra
Electronics' (ULE) subsidiary USSI, has been awarded a contract to supply
sonobuoys to the US Navy.
The production subcontracts, worth $90.5m and $75.5m, will be awarded by
ERAPSCO to Sparton DeLeon Springs and Ultra Electronics USSI, respectively.
Sparton president and chief executive officer Cary Wood said: "We are
firmly committed to development of innovative technology and to providing
the US Navy with the highest quality products that help further its
mission."
Read more

By Juan Cole
*This post originally ran on Juan Cole’s Web page.*
Al-Zaman reports that a U.S. drone hit mortar emplacements and F-18s
struck artillery arrays and armored vehicles deployed by the so-called
“Islamic State” (IS) in Kuwair east of Mosul on the way to the Kurdistan
capital of Irbil, and near a major dam, some ares of which are controlled
by the IS fighters.
Also on Friday, the Naqshbandi Army denied any involvement in a push on
the Kurdistan capital of Irbil, denouncing it as racist. The Naqshbandi
Sufi order is important... more »

*UK: Teacher jailed for hitting a seven-year-old boy when he made mistakes
during reading lessons at mosque*
*Beating is normal in madrassas*
A teacher has been jailed for hitting a young boy when he made mistakes
during reading lessons at a mosque.
Arfaq Hussain, 36, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, used his knuckles to rap
the seven-year-old around the knee in what the judge described as
'unforgiveable conduct'.
The offence came to light in December 2012 when another pupil told a
teacher that he did not want to do PE classes at the Jame Masjid Mosque in
Batley, West Yorkshire, bec... more »

By Juan Cole
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com
*This post originally ran on Juan Cole’s Web page.*
During the Gulf War in early 1991, then-president George H. W. Bush called
on Iraqis to rise up against Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party.
In the Kurdish north and in the Shiite South, hundreds of thousands heeded
his call. But after the short war was over in March, Bush appears to have
completely lost interest in the Kurds and Shiites who rose up and now were
in danger of being massacred by the Baath army. Gen. H. Norman ... more »

The Russian and Chinese central banks have agreed a draft currency swap
agreement, which will allow them to increase trade in domestic currencies
and cut the dependence on the US dollar in bilateral payments.
“*The draft document between the Central Bank of Russia and the People’s
Bank of China on national currency swaps has been agreed by the parties*,”
and is at the stage of formal approval procedures, ITAR-TASS quotes the
Russian regulator’s office on Thursday.
The Russian Central Bank is not giving precise details on the size of the
currency swaps, nor when it will be launched.... more »

Two long awaited pieces have appeared in the press. Belated but welcome.
The Guardian piece is all the more remarkable because it’s in the actual
Guardian. Next we’ll be hearing something like this on Channel 4. (Only
joking)
It’s still written with the ever present caveat - ‘I’m no fan of Israel,
but’. Nevertheless there’s some tacit acknowledgment that antisemitism is
behind a great deal of the tidal wave of knee-jerk Israel-bashing despite
all those cries of “anti-Israel-ism is different from antisemitism.”
It asks itself whether boycotting artistic ventures linked with Israel... more »

*A BRITON is feared to have caught the deadly Ebola virus after travelling
in the West African region where it has claimed more than 800 lives.*
It is now feared that Ebola has reached the UK [GETTY]
Health chiefs in Wales said yesterday that the condition of the suspected
victim is being "closely monitored".
Officials confirmed that the unnamed patient from Cardiff, South Wales,
contacted them after feeling ill on their return to British soil.
They were effectively quarantined in their own home and would speak to
doctors on a daily basi... more »

By now it is painfully apparent that there will be *no* legitimate
government oversight of the NSA Stasi. There are now over a years worth of
stories based on the documents procured by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden
that show the culture of contempt towards the privacy of law-abiding
Americans that exists at the agency. Rather than engage in working to
implement serious reforms that limit NSA programs to their stated purpose
of tracking of suspected terrorists, there are only attempts to further
erect a firewall around the NSA. Choosing to engage in demagoguery and
obfuscation... more »

So much for the US alone. So much for limited time. So much for limited
area.
*Boiling frogs*
*Britain considers air strikes to avert genocide in Iraq*
-Britain could join America in launching military strikes
-US forces began raids against fighters in northern Iraq on Friday after
Barack Obama pledged to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
- But it is understood British forces could also take part in attacks if
the situation in Iraq deteriorates
*Who decides if the situation is deteriorating? The perpetual war mongers?
The mass killing machine? *
- It is understood that there has... more »

Heather Callaghan
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson made waves last week with a video and
Facebook letter aimed at critics of genetically modified organisms in food.
His argument spun the idea that the process to achieve a GMO is exactly the
same as traditional agricultural techniques.
There were writers who called him out on enmeshing genetically engineered
organisms (transgenics) in crops with traditional practices of selective
breeding. In "round three" of Tyson's statements he continues the
enmeshment. Jeffrey Smith, founder of Institute for Responsible
Technology, has challe... more »

Written by Nick Bernabe, *Social Media Manager of Free and Equal, March
Against Monsanto and Founder of The Anti-Media.*
ISIS, now known as IS or the Islamic State, has been sweeping across wide
swaths of Iraq and Syria; reportedly slaughtering civilians, Shi’ite
Muslims, and other non-Sunni people living in occupied areas. The latest in
this string of violence includes up to 40,000 people trapped on Mount Sinjar,
surrounded by IS militants, facing death by execution or dehydration.
While the rise of the Islamic State has been blamed on al-Maliki’s
S... more »

[image: ANATOLI "TONY" KOPITCH 1948-2008]
*FREE SPIRIT*
My lifestyle, to some, is ever so strange.
Something, they say, I should re-arrange.
A "free spirit" they call me, because, I AM me.
Yet, I amaze them with the things that I see.
THEY live a life of deadlines and hurry,
Being on time, is their greatest worry.
This one has ulcers, that one's a wreck!
How can I sit there and say "what the heck?"
I have this feeling, one that I trust,
I will arrive, if, be there I must.
So much can happen in the blink of an eye.
That's all it takes... for someone to die!
THEY fret and they wor... more »

[image: 6546456]*August 9, 2014* (Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - Asia’s dependency
on rice cultivation for both subsidence and income is intuitively
understood. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
(FAO) estimates the agricultural population of lowland rice cultivation in
Asia to be over 470 million - larger than the entire population of the
United States. Improvements in rice cultivation would stand to lift
hundreds of millions from debt and poverty. Conversely, the disruption of
rice cultivation would threaten to mire hundreds of millions in deeper
debt, inescapable... more »

[image: MiG-31 Foxhound]The production of MiG-31 interceptor aircraft
should resume, as they could prove effective for another 15 years, Russian
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Friday.
“The aircraft had no rivals. That was the opinion of the
Military-Industrial Commission, the Defense Ministry, the industry on the
whole and even the State Duma, which used to hold special hearings on the
subject of the interceptor.
The production should be revived, as the jet is being upgraded.
Read more

[image: HAMMR]Northrop Grumman Corporation is highlighting its space and
missile defense capabilities during the 17 th Annual Space and Missile
Defense Symposium to be held here Aug. 11-14 at the Von Braun Center.
The symposium's 2014 theme is "Space and Missile Defense: Foundational to
U.S. Strategy Today and in the Future." Northrop Grumman is this year's
Titanium sponsor and will host the Salute to the Warfighter event Aug. 13
at 5 p.m. in Booth #601.
"This year's symposium will address homeland, regional and partner nation
missile defense and space and missile defense technology... more »

[image: SA-17 Grizzly - BUK-M1-2]Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin
Hussein today denied reports in the social media that Malaysia Airlines
(MAS) flight MH17 was shot down by fighter jets.
He said intelligence and evidence gathered from the fragments of the
ill-fated aircraft clearly showed it was shot down by missiles that were
launched to the air from the ground.
"Based on military intelligence and evidence from a portion of fragments
found, it is not likely the bullets were used from air to air but from
surface to air.
Read more

The famed aircraft carrier USS Constellation set forth on its last voyage
Friday, but this time towed by the ocean-going tugboat Corbin Foss.
The 1,008-foot Constellation’s 16,000-mile journey from Bremerton will take
the carrier around the southern tip of South America to Brownsville, Texas,
where it is set to be scrapped. The Corbin Foss tug is owned and operated
by Seattle-based Foss Maritime.
The Foss tug will take the long route to Texas around the bottom of South
American and around what is called “Cape Horn” by mariners, and not through
the Panama Canal, because the aircraft... more »

[image: SM-3 launch]The Defense Ministry is considering introducing a new
ground-based type of interceptor missile that the United States is
developing, in an effort to bolster Japan's ballistic missile defense
system, ministry sources said.
The ministry intends to introduce new ground-based SM-3 missiles, in
addition to the sea-based SM-3s that the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF)
already possesses, to enhance Tokyo's readiness to intercept ballistic
missiles heading toward Japan.
The ministry is expected to allocate tens of millions of yen from the
fiscal 2015 state budget for... more »

[image: Hobart class AWD]Australian and US foreign and defence ministers
will start ­negotiations next week which could lead to American commanders
being able to fire missiles directly from Australian ships.
This would happen as part of an integrated effort on defence against
ballistic missiles, which will be discussed in full at Tuesday’s Australia
US Ministerial (AUSMIN) talks in Sydney.
In 2016 the first of three Australian air warfare destroyers, HMAS Hobart,
will come into service. The three will be fitted with the powerful Aegis
missile defence system.
Read more

[image: E-2C Hawkeye]The U.S. has a massive force of ships and aircraft in
the Persian Gulf for the air campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq.
The first airstrikes against the Islamic State were carried out by two
aircraft from the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, which is in the
Persian Gulf along with the amphibious assault ship Bataan; the amphibious
dock landing ship Gunston Hall; the cruiser Philippine Sea; and the
destroyers Arleigh Burke, O’Kane and Roosevelt, according to the Defense
Department.
The amphibious transport dock Mesa Verde is elsewhere in the region,
acc... more »

[image: Yun Bong Gil Ham]Hyundai Heavy Industries has launched a new
214-class submarine, to be equipped with locally produced cruise missiles,
for the South Korean Navy.
The vessel is the Yun Bong Gil Ham, which weighs 1,800 tons, is 214 feet
long, and has a top speed of 20 knots.
The ship is the fifth 214-class submarine of the country's navy.
Read more

[image: Project 636.5 Varshavyanka class SSK]Project 636.5 Varshavyanka
head diesel-electric submarine Novorossiysk produced for Russian Black Sea
Fleet will be handed over to the country’s Navy on August 28, a
high-ranking source in the military and industrial sector told ITAR-TASS on
Friday.
“A festive St. Andrew naval flag-hoisting ceremony will be held abroad
Novorossiysk at the Admiralty Wharfs in the city of St. Petersburg on
August 28,” the high-placed military source said.
He recalled that this submarine would be put on trials at Northern Fleet’s
deep-water ranges after it ... more »

[image: Collins class SSK]ASC has been awarded a contract extension to
provide maintenance on the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) Collins-class
submarine fleet.
The company will continue to perform all maintenance work at its
headquarters in Osborne, Adelaide, South Australia, and Henderson, Western
Australia.
ASC interim chief executive officer Stuart Whiley said: "This new contract
recognises the significant improvement in performance and availability of
the submarine fleet.
Read more

This week I went to Lanyu for the first time, to enjoy one of the best
experiences Taiwan has to offer with one of my closest friends, Drew
Kerslake, and his lovely family. I have long wanted to go. Traveling with
Drew was special because he's been on the island many times and first
started coming in the 1990s, meaning that people there know him, and he
knows many things about Lanyu that few outsiders know. What a wonderful
introduction! Already planning my next trip.... (Andrew's beautiful and
informative post) Click on READ MORE (image intensive, may be a few minutes
loading up).... more »

Leigh McIlvaine (@Leigh M.) of Good Jobs First alerted me to this article
on what Tesla Motors wants in incentives to land its $5 billion
Gigafactory: $500 million. This massive 6500 worker facility will produce
the next generation of batteries in order to introduce a less expensive
line of cars in 2017, the Tesla Model 3. This would be a more affordable
vehicle than the widely praised Model S, which starts at $69,900.
I'm not joking about the praise: *Consumer Reports*, my go-to source for
product testing due to the fact that it does not accept ads and thus has
complete independenc... more »

The view is shown from a turret of a mine-resistant, ambush-protected
vehicle making its way back to Camp Leatherneck after a combat logistics
patrol in Afghanistan's Helmand province, July 14, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps
photo by Cpl. Alex Roberts
*Is Afghanistan Is Going the Way of Iraq? -- Joshua Keating, Slate *
The killing of Maj. Gen. Harold Greene by an Afghan soldier on Tuesday
doesn’t just mark the first killing of a U.S. general in a war zone since
Vietnam. It’s also a disturbing example of a problem that coalition forces
had seemed to be getting under control: so-called insi... more »

“Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is truly a majestic island universe some
200,000 light-years across. Located a mere 60 million light-years away
toward the chemical constellation Fornax, NGC 1365 is a dominant member of
the well-studied Fornax galaxy cluster.
*Click image for larger size.*
This sharp color image shows intense star forming regions at the ends of
the bar and along the spiral arms, and details of dust lanes cutting across
the galaxy's bright core. At the core lies a supermassive black hole.
Astronomers think NGC 1365's prominent bar plays a crucial role in the
galaxy's e... more »

Sam: "It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo, the ones that really
mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't
want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the
world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the
end it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new
day will come, and when the sun shines it'll shine out the clearer. Those
were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you
were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand, I
know... more »

*"The Waking"*
"I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me, so take the lively ... more »

"Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness
and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all
those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything
that rises must converge."
- Teilhard de Chardin

*"Six Impossible Things"*
by Chet Raymo
"It is morning. Early morning. I am sitting at my desk with my laptop open
before me. The shelves are lined with books. At my elbow, the big glass
windows looking out to Dingle Bay. On the sill, morning glories and
tomatoes. At my other elbow, a mug of coffee. In an hour or two I'll have
breakfast. This is my White Queen time. "But one can't believe impossible
things," cries Alice, in frustration. "Why sometimes I've believed as many
as six impossible things before breakfast," replies the White Queen smugly.
If I can believe six impossible t... more »

*Sorry, Frank, that's just some silly old myth about love having anything
to do with marriage. Now, Peg and Al Bundy, they were a bona fide married
couple, because they were, of course, Married -- With Children. Of course,
once they stopped procreating, however grateful the world would have reason
to be, Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Paul Niemeyer probably
would have had to blow the whistle on them. Not that Al would have
objected.*
*"In contrast to 'traditional marriage,' [Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of
Appeals Judge Paul] Niemeyer said, same-sex marriage ignores 'the... more »

*ISIS Threatens America: ‘We Will Raise The Flag Of Allah In The White
House’ -- Daily Caller*
The terror group President Barack Obama threatened to strike in Iraq
Thursday evening is itself threatening to strike the American homeland.
“I say to America that the Islamic Caliphate has been established,” Abu
Mosa, a spokesman for the terror group known as the Islamic State in Iraq
and Syria (ISIS), told VICE Media in a video interview posted online
Thursday. “Don’t be cowards and attack us with drones. Instead send your
soldiers, the ones we humiliated in Iraq.”
“We will humiliate ... more »

On Monday the 4th of Aug I went down from Fangliao to Kenting in the
morning to wait for Drew (post above this one). We were heading to Lanyu
from Houbihu port in Kenting the next day, but in the meantime I wondered
what could be done with the afternoon? Drew had the perfect answer: the
Pingtung 172. Click on READ MORE....
*ROUTE NOTES*: The Pingtung 172 starts from the 199 just before the
switchbacks. There's a sign for an archaeological site, turn right. The
road runs southeast for about 15 kms until it hits the tiny hamlet of
Fenshuiling, where you can get snacks and water. It ... more »

"Life is given for wisdom, and yet we are not wise;
for goodness, and we are not good;
for overcoming evil, and evil remains;
for patience and sympathy and love,
and yet we are fretful and hard and weak and selfish.
We are keyed not to attainment, but to the struggle toward it."
- T. T. Munger
◆
And ...
Monty Python, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ

"Stop Stress From Killing You"
by Elizabeth Walling
"What is stress? Physiologically, stress could be considered any event that
triggers a marked response by the adrenal glands. In basic terms, this
response is the release of cortisol. It's the body's natural reaction to
any stressor. For occasional stressors, cortisol can provide a burst of
benefits like increased energy, heightened reflexes and a higher threshold
for pain. However, when stress is chronic, as it often is in modern
society, cortisol levels can remain unnaturally high and lead to damaging
effects, which include:
• P... more »

*Garden State voters love Governor Krispy for his unflinching fiscal
realism.*
*"The Center says New Jersey could get on track if the governor and
legislature produced forecasts together, worked with outside experts, and
opened up those discussions to the public."*
*-- from a report by WNYC News's Jessica Gould*
*by Ken*
Perhaps the reason we're hearing all this talk about a "comeback" for New
Jersey Gov. Kris Krispy is that, rather than going all gooey and
apologetic, he has by God *stuck to his guns* and thereby allowed Garden
State voters to remember why they love him -- for hi... more »

President Obama meets with his national security team today in the
Situation Room. pic.twitter.com/vDJeYJOz9Z
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 7, 2014
*The World Will Blame President Obama If Iraq Falls -- George E. Condon
Jr., National Journal*
*The White House is under intense pressure to use American force to save
the people trapped by terrorists on the mountaintop. And it understands
why.*
The world will not blame the Iraqi government if the children and women
huddled atop Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq die of hunger and exposure. Nor
will Pope Francis blame Prime Minis... more »

*The Smart Way to Bomb ISIS -- John Allen Gay, National Interest*
*Obama is reportedly weighing attacks on the Islamic State. What factors
should shape his decision?*
The Obama administration is reportedly considering airstrikes against the
Islamic State after several days of advances by the putative caliphate.
Also under consideration is the delivery of humanitarian aid to minority
groups that fled as ISIS approached, with thousands reportedly trapped
without food or water in rough terrain and scorching heat. France and
Turkey may be joining in an American intervention—apparently... more »

*WNU Editor:* This was broadcast live .... which is remarkable when one
considers TV today. The use of black and white instead of color gives it
that 1960s look .... but what I love about this film are the parade of
stars who are in it. Sit back .... and enjoy. The Wikipedia entry for
Fail-Safe (The Film)* is here*.

Kurdish peshmerga troops participate in an intensive security deployment
against Islamic State militants on the front line in Khazer August 8, 2014.
US warplanes bombed Islamist fighters marching on Iraq's Kurdish capital on
Friday after President Obama said Washington must act to prevent
'genocide.' Azad Lashkari/Reuters
*Obama Intervenes In Iraq: Lessons Learned From Benghazi And Rwanda --
Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor*
*Benghazi and Rwanda, two crises where military intervention was not used,
likely figured in the backdrop of Obama's decision on what to do about a ... more »

*U.S. Bombs Islamic State After Obama Call To Prevent Iraq 'Genocide' --
Reuters*
(Reuters) - U.S. warplanes bombed Islamist fighters marching on Iraq's
Kurdish capital on Friday after President Barack Obama said Washington must
act to prevent "genocide".
Islamic State fighters, who have beheaded and crucified captives in their
drive to eradicate unbelievers, have advanced to within a half hour's drive
of Arbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdish region and a hub for U.S. oil companies.
They have also seized control of Iraq's biggest dam, Kurdish authorities
confirmed on Friday, which co... more »

http://removingtheshackles.blogspot.com/2014/08/as-you-may-have-noticed-after-quite.html
FRIDAY, 8 AUGUST 2014
*The RV, Nesara, SwissIndo: Zooming out to see the template*
As you may have noticed, after quite a long absence, I have been hit with
the "writing bug". lol
For the past few months I have been focusing my attention and a large
amount of my energy to working on the things that are "unseen". During
this time, using the computer or writing at all was .... difficult. Not
only did I literally feel something blocking me from writing, when I would
open the computer, it would... more »

AP/Lefteris Pitarakis
This week on Truthdig Radio in association with KPFK: The former
congressman says, “You can’t just stay silent when you see a massacre of
people going on.” Also: Washington, D.C., will decide whether to legalize
marijuana.
*Listen to the show (Dennis Kucinich interview begins at 15:45):*
(Trouble listening? Right-click to download the podcast here.)
Guests, in order of appearance: Michael Cindrich, Dennis Kucinich.
Subscribe to Truthdig Podcasts
Subscribe directly:
[image: iTunes]
If you don't have iTunes,
copy this address:
Visit the Podcast A... more »

(By *American Zen*'s Mike Flannigan, on loan from Ari.)
"Nixon was so crooked that he needed servants to help him screw his
pants on every morning." - Hunter S. Thompson, *Rolling Stone* obituary for
Richard Nixon, June 16, 1994
I was a mere, callow lad of 15 when Richard Nixon became the first US
president to resign from office four decades ago today. During the early
70's, Dad had taken us on two vacations in Washington, DC and, politically
speaking, it was like being in the middle of a highly-charged EMF Fear
Cage. We lived in Maryland, Agnew Country, and the Capitol wa... more »

As you may have noticed, after quite a long absence, I have been hit with
the "writing bug". lol
For the past few months I have been focusing my attention and a large
amount of my energy to working on the things that are "unseen". During
this time, using the computer or writing at all was .... difficult. Not
only did I literally feel something blocking me from writing, when I would
open the computer, it would "magically" die, or the internet would
"magically" disappear- sometimes continuously for days at a time, lol.
.... everyone around here began to ban me from hanging out, be... more »

*CIA Drone Control Huts*
These two "huts" were constructed in early 2007 outside the CIA main dining
room.
Each of the huts has 18 roof-top air-conditioning units, with 4 rows of 4
and 2 separately. This suggests 16 pilot drone controller cubicles each
with its own AC units, with two addititional AC units for common areas.
Cubicles are customarily self-contained with light and AC systems to shield
from external light, noise and interference.
While there appear to be no public photos of CIA drone operators, below are
military drone cubicles. CIA operators allegedly train at milita... more »

In this discussion topic, I argue that what is true about science is not
undone by how science is abused, but that at the same time, what is false
about religion remains false no matter how nice the intentions. This has
descended into a testy exchange with the religious desperado "Fidel" who is
having an argument with himself about the evils of corporate science.
Occasionally he makes windy, but entirely meaningless claims for religion
out of nowhere. I and three others have been trying to re-state the
original point several times, to no avail.
Here at Dr. Dawg's, Mandos is trying... more »

What we know about celebrity
its both gained and inherited
and in both cases
its an instrument of power
and can be a great generator
of lifesyles of the rich and famous wealth
Celibrity is the silent lottery
we all play
no matter how hard
we think about
doing away
with gambling
Celebrity is all high school
and the people that promote know
that was were you traveled
from kid stage to adolescence
and that stage of life
was a chrysalis
to determine
your final essence
For most of us it did not go
well, it was very awkward
some of our group of elementary
leaders tapped in to this well
Not sa... more »

Is this a message to another nation? Let me throw it out there.... Iran?
Update below- entertaining a possibility as to who is getting the message..
Massive US force in Persian Gulf
The U.S. has assembled a massive force of eight ships and 104 aircraft in
the Persian Gulf for the air campaign against ISIS in Iraq.
The morning strikes involved two FA-18 fighter-attack planes that dropped
500-pound, laser-guided munitions on a mobile artillery place near Irbil,
the Pentagon said.
The jets for both strikes came from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W.
Bush, according to a Defense Depa... more »

Long Island's terrorist-supporter and racist Peter King has long been fair
game here at *DWT*. The man practically begs for it; he's never meeting a
war that he didn’t like. His deranged crusade for the terrorists he likes,
and his misguided attacks on the terrorists he hates with McCarthy-esque
witch trial hearings against Muslim-Americans.
But what makes King particularly repugnant is his brash, combative nature
in the way he defends his asinine views. We have nothing against
politicians with strong convictions but we'd like those convictions based
on reality, not bigotry and ig... more »

*Libya Crumbles As The United States Looks The Other Way -- Washington Post
editorial*
THREE YEARS after U.S. and NATO forces helped liberate Libya from the
dictatorship of Moammar Gaddafi, the country is beginning to look a lot
like another nation where an abrupt U.S. disengagement following a civil
war led to chaos: Afghanistan in the 1990s. In Libya, heavily armed
militias are battling for control of Tripoli and Benghazi as well as the
international airport. The United States, France and other Western
governments involved in the 2011 military intervention have evacuated their
... more »

*Pictured: ISIS Jihadists rampaging across Iraq.*
In the last two months northern Iraq has seen the mass exodus of ancient
communities of Christians, Yezidis, and other religious minorities as the
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham has swept across territory, facing little
resistance.
A disastrous turn of events in the last week and a half around the Sinjar
mountains in northwestern Iraq has caused an urgent humanitarian disaster
and forced the Obama administration to act.
Critics say it is too little too late. The White House has not done
anything to contain this fire, and instead... more »

*The Clock Stopped at Hiroshima*
*At precisely 8:15 AM on August 6th, 1945 ~ 200,000 people eventually died
from an Atomic Bomb dropped by the United States on Japan and our world
permanently changed, for at that moment man had discovered the ultimate
means to destroy ourselves but now, 69 years later, we are still learning
the intellectual and soul based moral bearings needed to control the
fearsome murderous beast we unleashed on Hiroshima and then three days
later on Nagasaki. Perhaps now we are ready to fully experience the life
sustaining choice of love, social cooperation an... more »

by Doug Martin
Even though the filing deadline is not until the end of the month, the Indy
Chamber has already handpicked candidates to elect to the IPS school board
to completely turn the city’s schools over to the greedy.
Readers who have read *Hoosier School Heist* know exactly what this means
and are well aware of the group of billionaires and lapdogs who desire to
turn Indianapolis into New Orleans, where no true public schools exist now.
Indianapolis didn’t have a hurricane to take advantage of, but it did have
Bush Family friend Al Hubbard, NJ hedge funder Alan Fournier, and ... more »

Desmond Tutu says apartheid was such an injustice that it had to end. We
wonder if the Palestinians in Gaza can have the same hope?
The Angola 3 have long stood in opposition to colonization, oppression and
genocide internationally as well as here at home. We painfully watch our
US made F-16's dropping US made bombs on innocent civilians in an effort to
drive the indigenous people from their land in spite of peace agreements
and UN mandates.
We have to question not just the prison industrial complex that keeps
Albert ridiculously isolated in the worst possible circumstances in s... more »

File photo of Boko Haram militants. AFP
*Nigerian Army Fights To Push Boko Haram Out Of Two Northeast Towns --
Reuters*
Nigeria's military fought gun battles with Boko Haram Islamists in two key
northeastern towns on Friday, after the militants killed dozens of people
and drove soldiers out of Gwoza town two days ago, security sources and the
military said.
On Friday the military launched strikes to push the rebels out of Gwoza,
the security sources said, and the garrison town of Damboa, which the
militants sacked a month ago.Both towns lie on roads linking Nigeria to Cameroon a... more »

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